Little Gems Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with their parents and enter this home-from-home pre-school happily. Staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children's emotional and social development. They warmly welcome the children in and help them feel safe and secure. Staff encourage children to share how they are feeling, for example by talking to the children and sharing props displaying different emotions. All children, including younger children, are settled, behave well and enjoy their time at pre-school.

Staff ensure children access an ambitious curriculum. They support children's interests well. Staff provide activities that are stimulating and that also entice children to explore independently and investigate both inside and outside. Children are enthusiastic in their approach to their own learning. They particularly enjoy experimenting as they make marks in dry flour. They confidently use tools such as paintbrushes and their fingers. Children are absorbed and concentrate in this activity as they attempt to draw circles and letters of their name.

Children thoroughly enjoy and take an active part in learning about nature. On an outing, children eagerly run across the field with staff to the local woodland. Staff engage well with children, asking them about what they have found. Children use a wide range of vocabulary to describe the different smells and textures of the leaves and twigs. They stop suddenly and experience awe and wonder as a fledgling bird lands near them. Children know to stand still and remain quiet and calm as they watch the bird. Once the bird flies away, children excitedly talk about the event with staff, who help to broaden their knowledge further.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The manager and her staff team have high expectations for all children. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds are supported extremely well. Staff quickly identify these children and seek early intervention and help from the appropriate professionals. They work highly sensitively with parents from the start. Each child's individual learning and development targets are considered with a great deal of thought. Parents' views along with those of other professionals involved with the children are also considered.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents' comments are very positive. Some report on how the staff have worked 'over and above' to support them and their child. Information is exchanged regularly and effectively between parents and staff through a variety of ways. Parents comment how this helps them to continue to support their child's learning and development at home.
• Staff know their key children well and work together to support all children as a team effectively. They know what they want the children to learn next. However, occasionally, some staff do not have a clear and precise focus on intended learning for children. For example, during a planned planting activity, staff do not make the most of what they know they want the children to learn next. Consequently, they do not support some children to learn as much as possible during the activity.
• Staff support children's communication and language development well, overall. They listen to children and repeat words correctly to help with children's pronunciation. However, some staff, in their enthusiasm, do not model language consistently or use questioning techniques effectively to extend children's language skills further. Sometimes staff do not give children enough time to think and respond to the questions they ask.
• Children understand what keeps them healthy. They know to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children enjoy healthy lunches provided by their parents and enjoy the snacks of fresh fruit and vegetables provided by the pre-school. Staff extend children's learning. They talk to children about healthy food options and how to brush their teeth to promote good oral health. Children talk about how brushing stops cavities growing in their teeth.
• Children play cooperatively and their behaviour is very good. They use their imaginative skills well, creating their own play with dressing-up clothes and cardboard boxes. Children work out who is going to be what character between themselves. Older children are good role models for younger children. They help the younger children learn about behaviour expectations. During a group session, older children confidently shout out, 'Remember to be kind,' when asked by staff what the pre-school rules are.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to have a clearer focus on the intended learning for children so that the aim and objective of the planned activity are not lost
• help staff to model language and improve questioning techniques in order to provide more time for children to think and respond to questions.